The Rolling Stones On Air In The Sixties Book and Album

On Air omits some tracks that appeared on Beat Beat Beat at the Beeb if that is what you are asking. All of the tracks on the new release have appeared on bootlegs but not in "fake stereo" versions. Some of the tracks on the new release lack the BBC introductions of the tracks which were cut.

 

cheers mate!

 

Sorry for the confusion on who released the Beatles BBC Sessions box set.

It did exist, as I had it at that time (guessing 1994). I no longer have it, haven't had it since about 1996. As I recall though, it didn't strike me as looking like a boot. I also recall that it had a rather nice essay/pictures that came with it. What I do remember is that it was rather tedious to listen to in large batches because of the same songs being played over and over again (on the different shows).

EDIT - after googling Beatles BBC Great Dane and looking at the images there --- yes ---- that is what I had. It had 9 CDs, and I read that it had 10+ hours of music. That all sounds familiar.

 

I have a copy of this and it is a superb piece of work, one of those boots which showed what could be done when some people with a genuine passion for the material, and how it was packaged, put something together which was unavailable officially.
I love the tale - surely apocryphal - that a fan presented his copy of this box set to Ringo Starr when he encountered him somewhere, so he could sign it (this was 25 years ago)
Ringo obligingly signed it, saying to the owner how he never realised Apple had released such a product, and was astonished when told it was actually an unofficial bootleg product. Straightaway he contacted Apple/ Paul / George and set the wheels in motion to release the official 'Beatles Live at the BBC' 2CD set in 1994...

 

Great story if true.

 

About half of the Stones' BBC sessions are transcription quality and are thus as good as many of their regular studio recordings.

The thought that the recordings are so "lo-fi" that they needed to be "demixed" and processed into fake stereo, is laughable at best.

The other half were recorded by fans with tape recorders, and can best be heard on boot LP's from the 70's.

No amount of "demixing" is going to make those recordings sound "better".

The whole thing is ridiculous.

 

http://www.rollingstones.com/2017/12/07/making-of-on-air-delve-into-abbey-road-demix-process/

Should i laugh or should i cry?

 

Well, first you should probably remember that it's a commercial.

Personally, I think they're being upfront about what they present. In the case of "Satisfaction", they're maybe more impressed than I am, but it's a good demonstration of what the software can do, and the decisions they made (and not just about bringing up the vocal).

I'd like to see another demo or two just like it but with more primitive/decayed/troublesome sources.

 

Did anyone else in the US order this from the Stones online store? I ordered October 11, but I have not received any shipping notification yet, and the website just says my order was "processed". I would have thought that ordering direct from them would have meant an earlier delivery, not later.

 

I received the 2lp yellow last Monday. No shipping notice, just showed up.

 

I am not familiar with the bootlegs but I really do like this collection. I don't want to download any bootlegs illegally so this collection will be main source for these BBC songs.

It is nice hearing Brian doing some slide and you can hear his rhythm guitar pretty good on some cuts. I think it is Brian on harmonica on Confessin' The Blues. Wow.

 

I understand your view on this but as mentioned above the Ass Blaster version is not-for-sale, and here in Europe the material is in the public domain. In particular the disc sourced from transcriptions is excellent with a very natural/neutral sound without the excess bass of some other versions I've heard. If you don't prefer it, delete the files, if you do put the official discs through a shredder and I would say you're squared.

 

Just went on the iTunes store and listened to previews of all the tracks, and I have to say this is not nearly the audio desecration I had assumed it would be from the advance publicity. Tonally especially, these sound much better than they do on Beat Beat Beat at the Beeb (the most popular extant boot of the sessions for many people - where, I should add, the tracks have also been 'stereoized'). I also commend them for finally getting "Spider and the Fly" and "Oh Baby (We've Got a Good Thing Goin')" at the right speed here (either from locating the correct source transcription or via some judicious pitch correction) - which have always appeared way too slow on the boots.

As others have mentioned though, the sequencing is not optimum (I definitely would have gone for chronology to keep all the discreet performances together, and to show the band's development over time). I also miss much of the stuff that's been left off, such as "Not Fade Away", the studio "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "Bye Bye Johnny", "Don't Lie to Me" and the alt "Walking the Dog". But all in all, it could have been a lot worse.

 

I don't know why people keep referencing this boot as some kind of standard, as it has the poorest quality of all. There are half a dozen other boots that better represent what the tapes actually sound like.

 

I agree - it's certainly not the standard for me - but it seems to be the one that's best circulated and that people are most familiar with.

 

Well, for what this is, I enjoyed it. It is far from unlistenable. But it is also clearly inferior to other sources. And then there is that Last Time glitch. For me, it's not that big a deal, if only because I'm not going to listen to this stuff often. I'd be a lot more upset if this lack of QC was applied to the studio albums...

I'm satisfied with it. I'm also a collector who prefers official, approved releases. If I cared a bit more about this material, I might also download better versions. And frankly, if you're not OCD about official releases and such, you're better off with a public domain release, or I suppose this Ass-Blaster collection (what a name...).

That being said, the "demixing" does manage to work occasionally. I think it gives Come On a nice presence. Overall it was a poor choice.

 

No not really.
It is not really a question of acting superior because you think the bootleg is better. It may actually be better.
I am happy to pay a mere $11.99 for a legal physical product that I find enjoyable.
Many of the Jones era boots are not that great since Jagger’s voice is way up front and the rest of the band sounds like they are at another venue being broadcast over a weak shortwave radio.

These two disks don’t sound that way.
I hear Mick, Keith and Brian along with Charlie’s cymbals. I love Wyman’s bass.

No sir it sucks to be you.

 

Do you think they will do anything about that last time glitch ? Can’t see it cause I’ve listened to the SHM and it’s on that as well so it’s on all releases worldwide.

Amazing how that can happen to be honest but I’m still pleased I’ve got it even though it’s abit annoying.

 

If you have one of the public domain releases or bootlegs that contain the song, you can burn your own cdr replacement disc.

 

No, it doesn't suck to be me. I have all of these sessions in best possible quality and I didn't pay a cent for it.

I don't understand why people are perfectly willing to spend $$$ on something sub-bootleg quality just because it's an "official product", when there are free bootlegs that sound far better. Makes no sense to me at all, but whatever. Enjoy!

 

You should be proud of yourself.
The local economy wins because I bought something at a local store.
The music industry wins a small victory and Abkco may release some more material if On Air does well.


Plus I can afford it!

 

You can also add the missing songs on your own cdr if you have them. If I remember correctly, these are missing aside from duplicated songs.

Down In The Bottom
Not Fade Away
Bye Bye Johnny
Don't Lie To Me
You Can Make It If You Try

 

To digress a bit - has anyone heard this release? Everlasting Tour 1966-1967 The Rolling Stones CD Album
The Rolling Stones - Everlasting Tour 1966-1967

I was curious about it when it appeared on CDJapan last summer...?

 

Looks like the complete July '66 Honolulu show and selected cuts from Paris '66 & '67 shows. Long in circulation in very good quality.

 

You go!!!!
Great post!!!
Beave